Tiger Owl

Chapter 30 The Persuader Arrives
The day after Gan Ning returned to Chaisang, he received a report that "Sun Ben has sent a special envoy, Taishi Ci, to request an audience!"

It was actually Taishi Ci! Gan Ning personally went to the government office to greet him.

Before the steps, a tall and imposing general bowed and said, "I am Taishi Ci, it is an honor to meet General Gan!"

Gan Ning clasped his hands and smiled, "I have long admired the reputation of General Taishi of Beihai. Meeting you today, I can see that it is indeed well-deserved. Please follow me into the mansion!"

Gan Ning invited Taishi Ci into the main hall of the government office and had his attendants serve tea.

Gan Ning smiled and said, "General Taishi is stationed in Haihun County. We are neighbors! I heard that you are fighting against Liu Xin. I would very much like to go and help you."

Taishi Ci was about twenty-eight or twenty-nine years old. His long beard was neatly trimmed. He stroked his beard and chuckled, "Liu Xin is nothing to worry about. The real threat to Yuzhang County is Huang Zu. Chaisang is the first to be affected, followed by Haihun County. Why don't we unite the two and deal with Huang Zu together?"

Is this an attempt to persuade oneself to surrender?

Gan Ning pondered for a moment and then slowly said, "If General Taishi is willing to follow me in conquering the world, saving the people from suffering, and rebuilding a prosperous era, I will never treat you unfairly and will make you a hero admired by all the people!"

Taishi Ci wore an awkward smile. He had come to persuade Gan Ning to surrender, but unexpectedly, Gan Ning had persuaded him instead.

Taishi Ci sighed and said, "General Gan, do you know that danger is imminent? Liu Xun has joined forces with my lord to deal with you. Chaisang is in imminent danger. General Sun Ben is grateful for your favor in sending Ze Rong and is willing to help you. As long as you agree to submit to Jiangdong, General Sun Ben is willing to ensure that you continue to be stationed in Chaisang. Your troops and generals will still be under your command. General Sun Ben also promises that after Jiangdong takes Yizhou, you will be stationed in Yizhou."

This promise is incredibly extravagant, and it completely misses the mark regarding Sichuan and Chongqing.

Gan Ning smiled slightly and said, "If I were General Taishi, would I be willing to surrender?"

Taishi Ci pondered for a long time before saying, "When I was young, I was a minor official. Later, when the war broke out in Qing and Xu, I had to run around without a place to stand. Zuo Rong once mocked me as a homeless dog, which was not wrong. It was only because General Meng Bofu took me in that I had a wise ruler. If I were to switch places with General Gan, I would choose to surrender. I, Taishi Ci, would rather be a loyal dog than a homeless dog!"

Gan Ning nodded. “I understand General Taishi’s situation, but I, Gan Ning, am different. I will never be a dog. I am a tiger of the mountains and forests. Please tell General Sun Ben that I am grateful for his kindness, but a mountain cannot hold two tigers. Whether it is Chaisang County or Yuzhang County, there can only be one master.”

Taishi Ci nodded silently, clasped his hands in a fist and bowed as he left. Gan Ning saw him off and said with a smile, "If General Taishi sees General Bofu, please tell him for me that the great battle between Cao Cao and Yuan Shao is the perfect opportunity for him to attack Xuchang and save the Emperor!"

Taishi Ci paused for a moment, then clasped his hands in a respectful bow and said, "I will certainly convey your message!"

..........
After Taishi Ci left, Lu Su slowly walked to Gan Ning's side and said with a smile, "Our lord seems to value this Taishi Ci very much!"

Gan Ning nodded and asked with a smile, "What does the Chief Secretary think of him?"

Lu Su sighed slightly and said, "Taishi Ci is a fierce general of our time, but Sun Ce made him follow Sun Ben, which is a bit of a waste of his talents."

"Does the Chief Clerk think he will one day surrender to me?"

Lu Su pondered for a moment and said, "It's impossible under the current circumstances, unless something changes within Jiangdong and Taishi Ci is neglected, then it's possible."

"Would Taishi Ci be very loyal to Jiangdong?"

"Actually, no!"

Lu Su smiled slightly and said, "Taishi Ci often compared himself to a dog. The characteristic of a dog is that it is loyal to its master, but not to its family. Zhou Yu once said that Taishi Ci was only loyal to Sun Ce, not to Jiangdong."

Gan Ning nodded slightly, it seemed he still had a chance.

.........

Taishi Ci left Chaisang by boat. Standing at the bow, gazing at the city, he couldn't help but sigh. He and Lü Fan had repeatedly advised Sun Ben to decisively seize Chaisang, but Sun Ben refused. In truth, Taishi Ci had long seen through Sun Ben's intentions. Sun Ben dared not offend Cao Cao, and ever since his daughter married Cao Zhang, Sun Ben had considered himself Cao Cao's ally.

Sun Fu once let slip that his elder brother, Sun Ben, should have been the ruler of Jiangdong, not Sun Ce.

Perhaps Sun Ben wanted to rely on Cao Cao to replace his lord Sun Ce.

It is said that Gan Ning had some connection with Cao Cao, which is why Sun Ben hesitated to attack Chaisang.

Taishi Ci was truly worried. His lord, Sun Ce, trusted Sun Ben implicitly, and this trust would eventually harm him.

Lord Sun Ce is a hero of the world. He should not be trapped in Jiangdong. He should go out and conquer the world. Otherwise, he will be harmed by villains like Sun Ben sooner or later.

Taishi Ci suddenly remembered what Gan Ning had said, and it really made sense. While Cao Cao and Yuan Shao were fighting, the lord should lead the army to attack Xuchang and rescue the emperor. He would then become a hero admired by the world, and Taishi Ci could also follow the lord to do something great.

The more Taishi Ci thought about it, the more excited he became. He decided to go back and write a letter to his lord to persuade him to launch a northern expedition against Xuchang as soon as possible.

...........
At dusk, Gan Ning received a letter delivered by Liu Ye's trusted confidant.

This was part of the plan. Lu Su and Liu Ye reached a deal: Gan Ning would be responsible for eliminating Zheng Bao and altering Liu Ye's life trajectory, while Liu Ye would reciprocate by not only persuading Liu Xun to attack Chaisang but also providing Gan Ning with crucial intelligence about Liu Xun.

The most distinctive feature of Liu Xun's warship, the Qianlong, was the eight large lanterns hanging on it.

Naval warfare and land warfare have many similarities, such as various formations and the fact that both sides' ships come close together and the attacking side boards the ships to fight.

However, naval warfare also has characteristics that differ from land warfare. It is relatively closed, and if the enemy concentrates its attack on the commander's warship, the other warships cannot provide support, and the commander will find it difficult to escape.

Once the commander-in-chief is captured, the war often ends; naval warfare is a classic example of capturing the leader first.

Therefore, in every naval battle, the commander-in-chief must do everything possible to hide himself. The flagship is not necessarily the commander-in-chief. If the flagship is destroyed, another ship will quickly take over as the flagship.

The Battle of Zuo Rong is a typical example. Zuo Rong hid and let Chen Mu command the battle, but Gan Ning discovered Zuo Rong's hiding ship.

The same applies to Liu Xun; once Liu Xun is captured, the war will be over.

In fact, land warfare is much the same. For example, at the end of the Sui Dynasty, Li Shimin captured Dou Jiande in Luoyang, and Dou Jiande's powerful regime collapsed instantly.

However, it is difficult to capture the enemy's commander in land battles, while it is relatively easier in naval battles. Therefore, the intelligence sent by Liu Ye is the most valuable intelligence.

The intelligence Liu Ye sent wasn't just about Liu Xun's location; there was also something even more important: Cao Cao had decided to lend Gan Ning a hand, and if they changed their banners to Cao Cao's, it would definitely have a remarkable effect.

Gan Ning consulted with Lu Su, who thought for a moment and said, "Cao Cao said before that he would help us capture Liu Xun. I estimate that Cao Cao has already bribed Liu Xun's generals. As long as our lord captures Liu Xun, the generals he bribed will surrender to us without hesitation."

Gan Ning nodded. "The Chief Clerk is right. Cao Cao must have told the other side that we were Cao Cao's army, which is why he made us change our flags and make them surrender."

Although they were both reluctant to change to Cao Cao's banners, for the sake of the overall situation, they agreed to follow Liu Ye's advice and change all the banners to those of Cao Cao's army.

Liu Ye's intelligence is only useful at night, when it is easiest to find the large ship with eight lanterns.

Gan Ning immediately made arrangements, with Lu Su leading 10,000 troops to ambush outside Chaisang City and changing the flags of Cao Cao's army. Gan Ning himself led dozens of sampans downstream to the east.

(End of this chapter)